Combustion devices



D. S. FULLER Nov. 19, 1968 COMBUSTION DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 12, 1966 FIG. 3

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INVENTOR Douglas Somerville Fuller ATTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1968 D. s. FULLERCOMBUSTION DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 12, 1966 FIG. 8

FIG. 5

FIG. 7

FIG. 6

iNVENTOR Douglas Somerville Fuller ATTQRNEYS United States PatentCOMBUSTION DEVICES Douglas Somerville Fuller, Burrows, Long Reach,Ockham, Surrey, England Filed Sept. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 578,837 Claimspriority, application Great Britain, Sept. 14, 1965,

10 Claims. (Cl. 431267) This invention relates to combustion devices,and particularly to combusion devices for domestic use such as heatproducing devices, light producing devices, gas Wands, flame weldingtorches, and portable lighting devices such as cigarette lighters, inwhich the ignition of fuel escaping from a burner is effected by thespontaneous combustion of a pyrophoric substance brought into contactwith air.

Since suitable pyrophoric substances are generally extremely expensive,it is important that only a very small and accurately metered quantityof the pyrophoric substance shall be released to the ambient atmospherewhen it is desired to effect combustion of fuel supplied from areservoir thereof to a burner, and it is an object of this invention toprovide an improved combustion device having manually operable meanswhich provides the desired accurate metering of the pyrophoric substancefor ignition of the fuel at the burner.

According to the present invention, the improved device includes areservoir of pyrophoric substance and metering means for deliveringmeasured quantities of the pyrophoric substance to the ambientatmosphere adjacent a fuel burner, the metering means comprising anelongated member contained within the reservoir and adapted to bewithdrawn step by step therefrom through a snugly fitting sealing means,the elongated member being so formed that at each step a measured volumeof pyrophoric substance entrained by the member is released to theambient atmosphere adjacent the burner.

These and other novel features of the invention will be more readilyunderstood from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation ofthe metering device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the self-sealing end portion of theelongated member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a cigarette lighterembodying the invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial end view, partly broken away, of the take-upmechanism shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5' is a side elevation, partly in section, of another modificationof a cigarette lighter embodying the invention;

FIGS. 6 and 7 show alternative modifications of the elongated memberwhich carries the pyrophoric igniter substance; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an additionalembodiment of the invention in the form of a gas wand using amodification of elongated member shown in FIG. 5.

The metering device for pyrophoric igniter substance shown in FIG. 1comprises an elongated member A in the form of a chain of alternativesegments of wire 10 and uniformly spaced bead-like bodies 11. The wirecan be integral with the bead-like bodies mounted on the wire at spacedintervals or the wire can be of short individual segments connected ateach end of the bead-like bodies as in a conventional key chainconstruction. The elongated member A is stored in a reservoircompartment 12 containing a pyrophoric substance 13 having an outletneck 14 formed at its top end. The neck 14 is provided interiorly withan elongated seal member 15 having a central bore 16 whose diameter issuch as to provide a close fit 3,411,858 Patented Nov. 19, 1968 for thebead-like bodies 11 as they pass through this bore. The seal member isadvantageously formed of resilient material such as rubber or plasticsponge, but it will be appreciated that it can be formed of a non-stickmaterial such as polytetrafiuoethylene polymer. The length of the sealbore 16 is greater than the distance spanned by two successive bead-likebodies so that there is always a pair of these bodies within the bore.The space between the bodies 11 within the seal bore 16 forms a trap forpyrophoric substance rising or carried up from the reservoir.

Accordingly, the spacing between the bead-like bodies 11 within the sealbore 16 determines the amount of pyrophoric substance which is madeavailable by withdrawing one unit of the elongated member from the topof the seal opening. The elongated member is drawn stepwise through theseal bore by any suitable take-up device such as a staror cog wheel 17.If desired, a shearing blade 18 can be provided to cut off used units ofthe elongated member A, and the inner end of the elongated member can beprovided advantageously with a selfsealing plug 19, as shown in FIG. 2,which will close the inner end of the seal bore 16 when the end of theelongated member reaches this point.

The pyrophoric substance charged to the reservoir compartment 12 may beeither normally gaseous or normally liquid, such, for example, asaluminum borohydride, trimethyl aluminum, boranes such as diboranethrough pentaborane, silanes such as monodiand tn'silane, dimethyl zinc,carbonyl nickel, dimethyl boron, and the like.

The embodiment of the igniter device of the invention in a cigarettelighter is shown in FIG. 3. The lighter comprises a conventional outercase 20 having an inner case 21. One portion of the inner case isprovided with a conventional compartment 22 which serves as a reservoirfor lighter fuel such as butane and with a conventional burner 23extending upwardly above the case. Adjacent the fuel reservoir there ispositioned another compartment formed by enclosing walls 24 to define areservoir for the pyrophoric substance, and this compartment ispreferably but not necessarily formed as a removable cartridge withinthe inner case 21. The remainder of the inner case is advantageouslyformed as a receptacle 25 for spent elongated member from which thepyrophoric substance has been eliminated by its spontaneous combustion.

At the top of one sidewall 24 of the pyrophoric substance compartment aneck 14a is formed by an inverted collar. The interior of the neck isprovided with a seal 15a of resilient sponge rubber having a centrallongitudinal bore 16 and a communicating side bore 26 aligned with anigniter opening 27 in the compartment side wall 24 adjacent the upperend of the burner 23. Thus, as one unit length of the elongated member Ais drawn through the seal bore 16 to the position of the side bore 26,the pyrophoric substance entrapped by this unit is exposed to theambient atmosphere and ignites spontaneously in the opening 27.

Movement of the elongated member A through the seal bore 16 is providedby a take-up device mounted on a bracket 28 on the top wall of thepyrophoric substance compartment. The bracket 28 carries a horizontalshaft 29 on which, as shown more clearly in FIG. 4, is mounted a cogwheel 30 flanked by larger diameter ratchet wheels 31. The spacing ofthe cogs on the wheel 30 corresponds to the spacing between successivebead-like bodies 11 on the elongated member A, and the ratchet wheels 31serve as flanges to hold the elongated member on the cog wheel. Rotationof the ratchet wheels 31 is effected by a pawl 32 carried by a fingerpiece 33. The inboard end of the finger piece is pivoted on the wheelshaft 29 and its outboard end engages a compression spring 34. Outwardand downward movement of the finger piece 33 causes the pawl 32 torotate the ratchet wheels 31, and this movement is advantageously usedto cut off spent elongated member by the action of a pivoted cutterblade 35 secured to the underside of the finger piece. The portion ofthe elongated member cut off in this manner is free to fall through anopening 36 in the top wall of the compartment 25. In order to preventrattling of cut off portions of the elongated member within thecompartment 25, the walls of this compartment are advantageously linedwith sponge rubber 37 or the like.

Rotation of the ratchet wheels 31 by movement of the finger piece 33 isalso used to open a nozzle 38 on the top of the burner 23 by keying aforked arm 39 to the wheel shaft 29. Thus, movement of the finger piece33 causes (a) one-step rotation of the cog wheel 30; (b) upward movementof one unit of the elongated member A through the seal bore 16; andopening of the burner nozzle 38. The flame from the burner projectsupwardly through an opening 40 in a flame guard 41 which provides apartial cover for the lighter.

In the cigarette lighter embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5,the inner case 21 is provided with a conventional fuel chamber extendingacross the full width of its lower portion with the burner 23 mounted inthe same position as in FIG. 3. To the side of the burner and above thefuel chamber, a reservoir compartment for the pyrophoric substance isformed by walls 24a. The seal in this embodiment, however, isconstructed so as to permit use of a loop of the elongated member Awhich extends into the reservoir compartment and over and around theratcheted take-up cog wheel 30. The seal comprises an innermost U-shapedmetal shell 42 having an inner lining 43 of resilient rubber-likematerial or non-stick material. Spaced from the lining 43 by a distanceno greater than the diameter of the bead-like bodies 11 is a secondliner 44, of the same material as the other liner 43, which is supportedby a second metal shell or backing 45. The second liner-shell assembly44, 45 is open at its lower end so that the loop of the elongated memberA within its reservoir compartment passes out of the seal bore 16 andinto the supply of pyrophoric substance therein. The take-up wheel 30 isprovided with an operating fingerpiece 33 as in FIG. 3. However, nocutter is required in this embodiment of the invention because of theuse of an endless loop of the elongated member A.

In an alternative embodiment of the elongated member of the invention,the bead-like bodies 11 may be formed so as to entrain the desiredquantity of pyrophoric substance. For example, the bodies can be formedof porous material, such for example as diatomaceous earth, clay, or thelike, with or without a hollow center, or as hollow shells of animpervious material, such as metal or plastic, with one or more openingstherein, or of a material that is readily wetted by a liquid pyrophoricsubstance, the actual construction being determined to some extent bywhether the pyrophoric substance is used in the liquid or in the vaporphase. In still another alternative embodiment of the invention, theelongated member A, as shown in FIG. 6, is either round or flat and isformed with a plurality of cavities, for example by forming it with aplurality of spaced transverse bores 46. In such case the elongatedmember is advantageously formed, for example, of nylon or other flexibleplastic material. The elongated member A can also be formed of stripmetal or plastic with the aforementioned transverse bores 46, or it canbe formed of conventional wire 47 which is kinked or crinked, as shownin FIG. 7, the space between each pair of kinks serving to trap thedesired amount of the pyrophoric substance within the seal 15.

In the embodiments of the invention which use an elongated member A inthe form of a wire having bead-like bodies 11 secured thereon such as isshown in FIGS. 1 through 4, these bodies themselves may be made of acombustible material such as carbon, cellulose, wax, or the like, sothat they are set alight by the ignition of the pyrophoric substance asthey leave the reservoir compartment. In such modification, no separatesource of fuel or fuel burner is required because the elongated memberitself forms the burner and the supply of combustible bead-like bodieswithin its reservoir serves as a reservoir of the fuel.

It will be readily understood that all modifications of the elongatedmember A are used with a reservoir discharge seal which provides a tightenclosure about a sufficient length of the elongated member to serve asa trap for a discrete amount of the pyrophoric substance. In the case ofa seal of resilient material such as sponge rubber, the bore 16 ispreferably smaller than the diameter or cross-section of the elongatedmember A to provide this tight fit. In the case of a seal provided by alayer of polytetrafluoethylene polymer or similar non-stick material,the bore 16 can be the same dimension as the crosssection of theelongated member A so as to provide a free-moving but tight fit betweenthe seal bore and the elongated member.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 8, the burner and itssupply of fuel comprises a conventional gas wand 48 the upper end ofwhich is provided with a burner nozzle 23 and the lower end of which isconnected by a flexible hose 49 to a manufactured or natural gas supply.The igniter element for the wand and the wand itself are mounted on abase plate 50 which carries the wheel shaft 29. As in previouslydescribed embodiments, a take-up wheel 30, advantageously in the form ofa cog wheel, and a ratchet wheel 31 are rotatably mounted on the shaft29 along with a finger piece 33 carrying the ratchet pawl 32.

The elongated member A used in the device of FIG. 8 is the modificationshown in FIG. 6 and comprises a closed loop of strip material providedwith spaced transverse bores 46 in the form of slots. The loop passesupwardly through an inverted U-shaped seal similar to that shown in FIG.5 except that it is not cut-away at the bend of the U. One of the legsof the U is elongated and forms at its lower end a sidewall of areservoir compartment 51 for the pyrophoric substance 13. The elongatedmember A passing through the bore of the seal between the inner seallayers 43 and 44 passes an opening in the side wall communicating withthe reservoir and picks up a discrete amount of the pyrophoric substancein each of its slots 46. As the movement of the elongated member iseffected upwardly through the bore of the seal, it entraps thesediscrete amounts of the pyrophoric substance and carries each to anopening 52 near the top of the seal adjacent the burner nozzle. Thereturn portion of the band of elongated member passes through the bendof the U- shaped seal and back to the take-up wheel 30. Thus, eachmovement of the finger piece 33 advances a unit (slot) of the elongatedmember to the seal opening 52 where exposure of the pyrophoric substanceto the ambient atmosphere causes its ignition close to the burner nozzle23.

In all embodiments of the invention it will be seen that the elongatedmember is such and is so arranged that by its step-wise motion itcarries a discrete amount of phyrophoric igniter substance to theambient atmosphere adjacent a burner where spontaneous ignition of thepyrophoric substance causes ignition of fuel at the burner.

I claim:

1. In a combustion device wherein ignition of fuel delivered to a burneris effected by spontaneous combustion of a pyrophoric substance broughtinto contact with the ambient atmosphere adjacent the burner, the devicebeing provided with a fuel reservoir, a fuel burner, a storage reservoirfor the pyrophoric substance, and metering means for delivering ameasured quantity of the pyrophoric substance to the atmosphere adjacentthe burner, the improvement which comprises an elongated storage sealcommunicating with the pyrophoric substance reservoir, metering means inthe form of an elongated member stored within the pyrophoric substancereservoir and extending out of said reservoir through a longitudinalopening in the seal, withdrawing means for withdrawing stepwise throughthe seal and into close proximity to the burner a discrete length of theelongated member, each discrete length of the elongated memberentrapping within the seal a measured amount of the pyrophoric substanceavailable for spontaneous ignition when exposed to the ambientatmosphere adjacent the burner by withdrawal of said discrete length ofthe elongated member out of the seal.

2. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the elongatedmember is in the form of spaced bead-like bodies interconnected by wire,the distance between each pair of bead-like bodies being less than thelength of the longitudinal opening in the seal.

3. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the elongatedmember is in the form of spaced bead-like bodies interconnected by wire,each of the bead-like bodies being capable of holding a discrete amountof the pyrophoric substance.

4. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the elongatedmember is of substantially uniform size throughout its length and isprovided at spaced intervals with transverse bores each adapted toentrap a discrete amount of the pyrophoric substance.

5. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the elongatedmember consists essentially of a length of kinked wire adapted to entrapbetween its kinks within the seal a discrete amount of the pyrophoricsubstance.

6. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the elongatedmember is in the form of spaced bead-like bodies of combustible materialserving as the fuel for the device.

7. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the seal is ofresilient material and the longitudinal opening in the seal hascross-sectional dimensions smaller than those of the elongated member.

8. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the longitudinalopening in the seal is surfaced with a non-stick material and thecross-sectional dimensions of the openings are substantially the same asthose of the elongated member.

9. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the withdrawingmeans is provided with a cutter to sever the spent portion of theelongated member discharged from the withdrawing means.

10. A combustion device according to claim 1 in which the elongatedmember is in the form of a closed loop communicating between the storagereservoir for the pyrophoric substance and the withdrawing means througha pair of similar elongated seals communicating with the storagereservoir.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,085,411 4/1963 Daugherty 67--7EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A COMBUSTION DEVICE WHEREIN IGNITION OF FUEL DELIVERED TO A BURNERIS EFFECTED BY SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF A PYROPHORIC SUBSTANCE BROUGHTINTO CONTACT WITH THE AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE ADJACENT THE BURNER, THE DEVICEBEING PROVIDED WITH A FUEL RESERVOIR, A FUEL BURNER, A STORAGE RESERVOIRFOR THE PYROPHORIC SUBSTANCE, AND METERING MEANS FOR DELIVERING AMEASURED QUANTITY OF THE PYROPHORIC SUBSTANCE TO THE ATMOSPHERE ADJACENTTHE BURNER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES AN ELONGATED STORAGE SEALCOMMUNICATING WITH THE PYROPHORIC SUBSTANCE RESERVOIR, METERING MEANS INTHE FORM OF AN ELON-